JAMMU, Aug 9: Amid a debate over Article 35A of the Constitution that gives special status to Jammu and Kashmir, state Congress chief Ghulam Ahmed Mir today said that every Congressman is "promise-bound" to defend the various safeguards given to the state under the statute.

At the same time, he said it is "premature to say anything about the role of Congress on the issue" as the matter is sub-judice. Mir said his party would reach out to the people of the state to educate them on pros and cons of Article 35A of the Constitution.

The Congress along with CPI(M) and other mainstream parties attended an all-party meeting convened by main opposition National Conference in Srinagar on August 7 to chalk out a strategy to defend Article 35A of the Constitution which empowers the Jammu and Kashmir legislature to define the states "permanent residents" and their special rights and privileges.

Mir, who was replying to a volley of questions on the debate over Article 370 and Article 35(A), avoided a direct answer about his party’s stand.

"The Congress is a national organisation and we have to see how the situation develops. The debate over the issue has just started among the political parties at various levels. I think the discussion will continue for some time," Mir said.

"Each Congressmen is promise-bound to defend the safeguards given to Jammu and Kashmir by virtue of various laws and constitutional guarantees by the then leadership and will fight this battle (attempts to revoke) with the help of the people," he said on the sidelines of a function here.

"... we agree that the Article 35 A or Article 370 was the outcome of the decision taken by the then leadership, whether from Jammu and Kashmir (including) Maharaja Hari Singh, or the first Prime Minister Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru given the situation in the region," he said.

The state Congress chief said his party would reach out to the people to make them understand the pros and cons of the Article 35A and Article 370 which guarantee special status to the state.

NEW DELHI, Aug 9 (Agencies): Amid the border standoff with China, Defence Minister Arun Jaitley today said the Indian armed forces are strong enough to meet any challenge to the country’s security as he underlined that lessons have been learnt from the 1962 war.
He also said in the Rajya Sabha that the people of the country have a predominant wish of retrieving the parts of Jammu and Kashmir occupied by Pakistan since 1948.
Jaitley, while initiating a special debate to mark the 75th anniversa